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Re: A beginnerÔŅĹs guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

Nice Thread.

Same happened to me too.. or rather I would say I wasn't sure what category I liked when I purchased my first bike a pulsar 150.

I was a car driving guy who has been driving since the age of 9. but bikes were completely a new unexplored territory for me.
So, I went ahead any purchased it, little that I knew what was going to unfold. In 10 months and 13k on the odo I found that this wasn't enough for me and sold it to get my CBR 250(ABS). Found my taste to be fully faired sports types

Few pointers that I would like to mention:
1. If you can get ABS version of the bike GET IT!
ABS doesn't kick in unless you make a mistake while braking so you won't even know it is there unless you actually messup braking and the pulsating sensation will tell you that you made a mistake and rectify/train yourself accordingly.

2. Important deciding regarding bikes is the category you like.
Ask yourself which bike/type of bike you turn around to look, look at it in parking and answer yourself.

4. Deciding on the bike
Don't go too heavy on the CC on your very first ride (not too low either if you plan on touring with it). You might be thinking I can handle/ control myself then why not buy the best/most powerful stuff
The point here is that if your first ride is too powerful you will spend less time learning about riding and more time on how not to kill yourself.
smaller CC bikes can be revved high without going too fast so you will learn to control the revs, corner well and counter steering. All of which will make you a better and safer rider.

5. Invest in proper riding gears and wear them
Apart from the bike, have some budget for riding gears
Must haves

Helmet (Branded with DOT3+ or atleast ISO cert) (bare minimum and always on when riding) 1500+

Riding gloves (bare minimum and always on when riding) 300+

Riding jackets(and always on when riding) 3500+

Knee guards

Riding boots

"Do not dress for the ride but dress for the fall "
ATGATT ( All The Gear All The Time)Believe me you will thank your jacket and helmet and rest of the gears when you fall(and me if you start following ATGATT after reading this ).

Re: A beginnerÔŅĹs guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

Hello,

I am planning to buy a bike, currently owning CB Twister(6 years) and Splendor (2 years). After narrowing all the options, I am planning to upgrade to either FZ 25 or Dominar 400, I have been going through Ownership threads of both bikes since few months. I am buying mainly for everyday commuting and weekend/Occasional touring purpose. Main concerns are ride experience, reliability, fuel efficiency and maintenance...

so my queries:

FZ 25:

Is ABS very necessary for person like me upgrading from 110CC engine?

Headlights: What to do about the issue?

Vibrations: Would it affect me considering twister which has a great refined engine till i hit high speeds (>90)?

Reliability and maintenance :I know yamaha is reliable, but i see engine replacements, weird noises and maintenance issues for this particular bike..!

Dominar 400:

Weight: 80+kgs bump compared to Twister, will it affect me a lot?

Fuel efficiency: The claimed mileage is 35, but 3 of my college mates who own it told it hardly crosses 25kmpl in real time conditions.. i am worried!

maintenance: Bajaj doesn't have a great service record nor the bikes are not very reliable, Is it the same for Dominar?

Vibrations : question same as for FZ 25

considered 200 4V, opted out because FZ 25 is a better choice(right?)Any other options also welcome....

Re: A beginnerÔŅĹs guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

I don't think so Yamaha FZ25 is significantly better than Apache RTR200. It does have fuel injection, 50cc more and that extra torque at lower rpm but that does not justify the extra bucks you spend over RTR200.

I was in a similar dilemma about 6 months back. I decided to go ahead with Apache RTR200 in spite of booking FZ25 and losing out on the booking amount. The reason I went with RTR200 was only that of the bang for buck it provides above all other options you mentioned above. No regrets till now. The bike has a gem of an engine and that sexy exhaust note which is best sounding on any single cylinder out there.

Re: A beginnerÔŅĹs guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

Originally Posted by xeo

Hello,

I am planning to buy a bike, currently owning CB Twister(6 years) and Splendor (2 years). After narrowing all the options, I am planning to upgrade to either FZ 25 or Dominar 400, I have been going through Ownership threads of both bikes since few months. I am buying mainly for everyday commuting and weekend/Occasional touring purpose. Main concerns are ride experience, reliability, fuel efficiency and maintenance...

so my queries:

FZ 25:

Is ABS very necessary for person like me upgrading from 110CC engine?

Headlights: What to do about the issue?

Vibrations: Would it affect me considering twister which has a great refined engine till i hit high speeds (>90)?

Reliability and maintenance :I know yamaha is reliable, but i see engine replacements, weird noises and maintenance issues for this particular bike..!

Dominar 400:

Weight: 80+kgs bump compared to Twister, will it affect me a lot?

Fuel efficiency: The claimed mileage is 35, but 3 of my college mates who own it told it hardly crosses 25kmpl in real time conditions.. i am worried!

maintenance: Bajaj doesn't have a great service record nor the bikes are not very reliable, Is it the same for Dominar?

Vibrations : question same as for FZ 25

considered 200 4V, opted out because FZ 25 is a better choice(right?)Any other options also welcome....

Personally I had the same Dilemma when i upgraded from 100 to 200 about the necessity of ABS, but after riding the 200 for a month or so i got a grab on my motorcylce's ability to handle hard braking. The only catch is you need to be a little cautious on a non ABS vehicle while braking a little practice would do great wonders especially while on treacherous city traffic riding, mind you any 200+ cc bikes have quick acceleration when compared to the 100s. If you had already ridden these 200+ cc performance bikes then you wouldn't have any trouble getting along with these machines.

Now coming to your selections FZ and Dominar are equally good moreover if you have the budget to stretch close to 1.7 OTR, I would suggest the ABS dominar, if not close your eyes take the FZ25, a more reliable and manageable vehicle especially considering your upgrade from 110cc. Both bikes are really great and Bajaj's reliability has increased to a great extent for Dominar. Maintenance point of view, the First free services for any bike get it done from the authorised service centers, later on getting it done from a trusted mechanic is best advised. On the weight issues, trust me go for the lighter weight 148kg FZ than the dominar. Even FZ has a considerable weight gain compared to the Twister and its a pain in itself to move these beasts in Off condition, while parking, reversing and even while slow moving traffic maneuverability.
But all these are considerably smaller issues once you have gained some experience on these big fellows, not that the weight will reduce over the time but you would have got accustomed to the shortcomings.

Re: A beginnerÔŅĹs guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

Hi all,New joinee here. Have driven bikes for 18 years now. Drove dad's Hero Honda Splendor till 2015 regularly, but have been comfortable driving most - Pulsar, Unicorn, Thunderbird, FZ, etc. Haven't biked regularly since 2015 (as in...on a daily or frequent basis) due to changing nature of my job. Finally in a stable job and want to buy a bike now. Strongly considering a Classic 350, but I would appreciate some inputs given my background -

33 years old, 5'10", 85 kg. On the heavier side but athletic.

Usage: I commute to office in an office car (with driver). Bike will be more for domestic purposes, weekend intra-city usage and occasional inter-city travel (say within 150-200 km). I love biking but not the Kashmir-Kanyakumari types. Not a die-hard Enfielder either, but I think it is a classy and long-term option. If I get a bike now, will not look to buy again for at least another 10 years. Don't mind spending 1.6 on the Classic 350 but not exactly floating in money. :P

Given all this, in a quandary if I will be able to do justice if I spend 1.6 on an RE. I would appreciate some perspective on -

Whether it is worth the expense given I'm not going to use it for office commute.

If not a Classic 350, would you recommend a lesser expensive but 150+ bike for my sporadic usage? Say a smooth and steady Unicorn or something like that?

Re: A beginnerís guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

Is it worth waiting for the launch of Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 or should I go for Rc 390? I'm more biased on sports riding position but a bit of classic cafe racer look with more advanced features never goes down.. let me know what you guys think about vitpilen 401 and svartpilen 401, and please help me choose between Vitpilen 401 and rc 390. Cheers!

Since '02 xBhp is different things to different people. From a close knit national community of bikers to India's only motorcycling lifestyle magazine and a place to make like minded biker friends. We have one common religion - Bikeism.